Bengaluru, DHNS: The State Cabinet has withdrawn the cases against CPM workers who had forcibly entered the Krishna Mutt, Udupi in 2012.
On November 27 that year, CPM workers forcibly entered the Mutt premises, protesting against the centuries-old ‘pankti bheda’ system practised by the Mutt (separate seating arrangements for Brahmins and non-Brahmins), while serving food to devotees. Hundreds of CPM workers, from across the State, participated in the protest. The Udupi police later arrested them and filed criminal cases.
As per the decision of the Cabinet sub-committee under the chairmanship of Law Minister T B Jayachandra to review criminal cases, the Cabinet on Saturday gave its assent to withdraw the cases against CPM workers. The Cabinet also withdrew seven separate criminal cases against various people.
The cases include the ones filed against lawyers in Ulsoor gate police station, Bengaluru, the one registered against private persons for indulging in rioting at K Belthuru, H D Kote taluk, Mysuru district, in July 2008 and those filed against dalits in Ashok Nagar, KGF, for holding a protest.
The Cabinet also resolved to cancel the lease of 347.12 acres of land in Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, to the Karnataka Film Industries Development Corporation for the construction of a hi-tech Film City.
The land has been handed over back to the Animal Husbandry department. The lease had come under a lot of criticism. A PIL was filed against it, on the grounds that the area was a declared natural grasslands. The decision also comes in the light of the government announcing at the ongoing legislature session that the film city will now come up at Immavu in Mysuru district. The Cabinet had deliberations on the contract with EMTA to mine at Chandrapur coal block, Maharashtra, allocated by the Centre to the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited.
The Cabinet also approved the development of 3,855.23 km of rural roads at an estimated cost of Rs 2,676.57 crore under the Namma Grama Namma Raste project phase III.
Sanction to try KPSC members on hold
Yet again at the Cabinet meeting, the sanction for prosecution against a few Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) members was deferred. The subject of sanction for prosecution against the KPSC members has been with the Cabinet for a long time, and this has been severely criticised by Opposition leaders. The Cabinet also decided to defer the subject of whether to accept or reject the social impact study on Yettinahole project. It is said that the government will wait for the new land acquisition ordinance, to be issued by the Centre, that will exempt irrigation projects from social impact studies.
